Above it all (I'll always love you)

14

Important message at the bottom! Please read and give me your thoughts and opinions! Enjoy!

**

Maria keeps Natasha at home the next day too. The girl wasn't as sick as she was the day before, but she still had a slight fever and tummy ache which made Maria want to keep her close for just a little while longer. Natasha seems okay with the decision, and she and Yelena spend the day on the couch snuggled up and watching movies.

They eat soup, drink hot chocolate, and by the next day Natasha was feeling better enough to finally have her friend around.

It was just after eleven when the doorbell rings, and with Yelena on her hip, Maria answers the door and welcomes Kate and her mother inside.

"Hi. It's nice to meet you." She greets with a friendly smile, and Kate nods shyly as her mother quietly greets Natasha.

"I'll come pick her up around six?" Kates mom asks, and Maria nods her head.

"Sounds good. Say goodbye to your mom Kate." She tells the girl as she adjusts Yelena slightly on her hip. The girl was quiet, but content to be in her arms, and Maria could both feel and hear her suckling quietly on her thumb against the skin of her neck whilst her other hand plays with the hair at the nape of Maria's neck.

Kate complies, and she was soon leading both girls into the kitchen.

"I don't know what you girls want to do today, but I think lunch sounds like a good first step." She tells them, and whilst Natasha nods, Kate seems intrigued with Yelena and hadn't yet taken her eyes off of her.

Seeing this, Maria gently eases Yelena down onto her feet, "Wanna say hi Lena?" She questions, and the little one shrugs as she turns to face Kate.

"Hi." She mumbles behind her thumb, and Kate smiles.

"Hi. How old are you?" Kate asks curiously, and Maria decides to leave them to it as she figures out something to make for lunch. Maybe take out?

"Seven." She hears Yelena murmur.

"You look younger." Kate comments, and Maria silently agrees. Yelena was small. If you'd never met her before and you saw her on the street, you'd guess her age to be no more than five at most.

After not seeing anything to her liking in the refrigerator, she closes the door and turns to face the three girls. She smiles slightly when she see's Yelena sat on her sisters lap, her thumb finally out of her mouth. She'd been relying on it more and more as of late, and Maria was seriously considering buying her a pacifier.

Yes she was seven, but the amount of germs on her hands because she was young and doesn't always wash them was seriously concerning. It's not like she could just tell Yelena to just stop. It was soothing and comforting, and Maria wasn't about to take that away when she'd already had so much ripped away from her.

"Okay girls. What do you want from McDonald's?"

*

All three girls were soon settled on the couch with a movie and popcorn, allowing Maria to get on with some housework. She does the dishes first, then mops and vacuums.

In the living room, frozen was playing on the tv.

"You wanna go do something else?" Kate asks after a few moments, and Natasha flickers her eyes over to her.

"Like what?"

Kate shrugs, "Got any games?" She wonders.

"Mom has a bunch in the hallway closet. You can pick." Natasha rises to her feet, Kate following.